St. David's Medical Center offers breakthrough treatment for stroke survivors

Austin, TX — Physicians at St. David’s Medical Center recently became the first in Central Texas to use an FDA-approved breakthrough device that stimulates the vagus nerve during rehabilitation therapy and daily activities. Vagus nerve stimulation paired with rehabilitation therapy is intended for chronic stroke survivors who have not regained arm and hand function six months or more after their ischemic stroke and are considered to have moderate to severe deficits by their physicians. In a published clinical trial, this therapy helped ischemic stroke survivors improve their hand and arm function two to three times more than traditional rehabilitation therapy alone in six weeks.

The first neurostimulation device was implanted by Dhruve Jeevan, MD, pediatric and adult neurosurgeon at St. David’s HealthCare, on March 20, 2024. Robert Lee, MD, medical director of stroke and neurological recovery at St. David’s Rehabilitation Hospital, is overseeing the patient registry and studying the impact the technology has on patient outcomes.

“Vagus nerve stimulation paired with rehabilitation therapy, enhances the release of neurotransmitters needed to help chronic stroke survivors regain arm and hand function necessary to perform everyday tasks and hobbies,” Dr. Lee said. “The chronic stroke survivors enrolled in long-term follow-up studies have shown a significant response rate to the treatment. St. David’s Medical Center is excited to serve this population of patients and offer this novel treatment.”

During the procedure, a medical device, which is small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, is implanted under the skin in the upper left chest area. While the procedure has been used to treat seizures and depression for decades, this technology is now available to help chronic stroke survivors regain movement in their upper extremities.

In the therapy sessions, which may begin after the surgeon clears the stroke survivor for activity, a therapist uses a wireless transmitter that communicates with software to signal the device to deliver a gentle pulse to the vagus nerve — the longest cranial nerve in the body that links the brain to other areas of the body — while the stroke survivor performs specific occupational tasks. The simultaneous pairing of the vagus nerve stimulation with high-repetition, task-specific therapy increases neural connections to improve upper limb function and increase the relevance of occupational or physical therapy.

The first inpatient rehabilitation therapy session was completed at St. David’s Rehabilitation Hospital, on the campus of St. David’s Medical Center. The 64-bed hospital features private rooms and state-of-the-art technology to provide comprehensive care for patients with neurological conditions.